What Oji Nepia does

Oji Nepia Co., Ltd. (王子ネピア株式会社) is a Japanese household paper and personal care products manufacturer, established in 1971 as Oji Tissue Sales Co., Ltd. and operating today as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oji Holdings, Inc., within the broader Oji Group conglomerate. The company produces tissue paper, toilet rolls, kitchen towels, wet wipes, face masks, adult diapers, light incontinence products, and (since 2025) skincare products under multiple sub-brands including Hana Celeb, Nepia Tender, Nepi eco, Genki!, B-lock, SARAStyle, wetomo, SKINLISM, and the acquired Shikoku Tokushi washi toilet paper line. Its manufacturing base comprises four Japanese factories — Nagoya (85,143 m²), Tokushima (84,307 m²) featuring a world-leading 2,050 m/min paper machine, Fukushima (20,829 m², adult diaper production), and the Shikoku Tokushi subsidiary — drawing on Oji Group's integrated forest assets spanning approximately 635,000 hectares globally and FSC-certified pulp supply.

The company sells through a multi-channel structure including mass retail (supermarkets, convenience stores, drugstores, home centers), B2B commercial supply (hotels, restaurants, offices), direct sales to medical and welfare facilities through a dedicated Care Support Sales HQ, a direct e-commerce storefront at shop.e-nepia.com, and gift/catalog channels (Linfel/Amazon). Distribution is supported by eight regional sales offices across Japan (Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo metropolitan, Nagoya, Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Fukuoka) and the Living Support Sales HQ for consumer products. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined through standard retail and direct-sale channels.

Oji Nepia's business model is volume-driven consumer packaged goods with brand-led differentiation across softness, absorbency, sustainability (FSC paper, biomass packaging, the proprietary 2023 Nepia Environmental Mark), and category-specific functionality (e.g., Central Rich Absorbent Body adult diaper technology, 3D Watery Stool Penetration System). The company invests in social-impact brand-building through long-running programs such as the Unchi Kyoushitsu educational initiative (reaching ~21,000 children since 2007) and the 1000 Toilets Project in East Timor (2008-2021), partnerships with WWF Japan and UNICEF, and IP collaborations with Moomin, Gundam, Kodansha Bunko, and brand ambassador Meguro Ren. Its primary value proposition centers on integrated forest-to-shelf quality control, category breadth across consumer paper and care products, and a multi-decade household brand heritage in the Japanese market.

Name

Oji Nepia

Legal name

王子ネピア株式会社 (Oji Nepia Co., Ltd.)

Website

https://nepia.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Oji Nepia Co., Ltd. is a Japanese household paper and personal care manufacturer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Oji Holdings, producing tissue, toilet rolls, kitchen towels, wet wipes, adult diapers, light incontinence products, and skincare under brands like Hana Celeb, Nepia Tender, and Nepi eco for retail, B2B commercial, medical/welfare facilities, and direct e-commerce customers across Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tissue and Personal Hygiene Products

NAICS

Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing (322291), Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (32562)

SIC

Papers & Allied Products (2600)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer Tissue Paper (Facial, Toilet, Paper Towels, Napkins) (IMAMAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Away-from-Home (AFH) Tissue & Wipers (Commercial/Institutional) (IMAMAGAB), Medical & Healthcare Hygiene Disposables (Patient Wipes, Underpads) (IMAMAGAF)

Keywords

• Tissue paper products
• Household paper goods
• Adult incontinence care
• Personal hygiene wipes
• Commercial paper supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consumer Paper Products: Sale of tissue paper, toilet paper rolls, kitchen towels, wet wipes, and other household paper products through retail channels (supermarkets, convenience stores, drugstores) and direct e-commerce.
2. Adult Diapers and Care Products: Sale of adult diapers (ネピアテンダー series including tape-type, pants-type, pad-type), nursing care products, and skincare products for medical/welfare facilities and home care.
3. Light Incontinence Care Products: Sale of light incontinence care products including SARAStyle for women and B-lock for men through retail and e-commerce channels.
4. Skincare Products: Sale of skincare products including Hana Celeb SKINLISM series (cleansing bar, sheet masks) launched in 2025 as an expansion beyond tissue paper products.
5. B2B/Industrial Paper Products: Sale of tissue, toilet paper, kitchen towels, wipers, and other products to businesses, hotels, restaurants, offices, and medical/welfare facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Oji Nepia manufactures and sells branded tissue paper and personal hygiene products in Japan, including toilet paper, facial tissues, kitchen towels, wet wipes, and adult incontinence and skin-care items. The company operates dedicated production facilities in Nagoya, Tokushima and Fukushima, and distributes its products to consumers via mass retail and its own online shop, while also serving medical, nursing-care and corporate buyers through a separate commercial product line.

Product overview

Oji Nepia is a paper products company offering a diverse portfolio of household and medical care products. Core products include tissue papers (ネピア ティシュ, ネピア ネピネピ, ネピア ネピeco) and toilet rolls (トイレットロール) in various formats and lengths. The company operates sub-brands including the skincare line Hana Celeb SKINLISM (launched 2025) and wet tissue brand wetomo (launched 2024). Medical care products include adult diapers under the Nepia Tender brand, absorbent care products (B-lock for men, SARAStyle for women), and acquired premium brand 四国特紙 for traditional scented toilet papers. All core tissue and paper products utilize FSC-certified paper with environmental initiatives including biomass packaging materials and paper pull-out openings in eco product lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ネピア (Nepia) - Main Brand: Core tissue and household paper products brand with tagline '人と地球に、ここちいい。' (Good for people and Earth)
• ネピアテンダー (Nepia Tender)
• 鼻セレブ (Hana Celeb)
• ネピeco (Nepi Eco)
• Genki! (ゲンキー)
• 四国特紙 (Shikoku Tokushi)
• B-lock
• SARAStyle (サラスタイル)

Products and services

• Nepia household tissue range (toilet paper, facial tissues, kitchen towels)

Quantifiable outcome

• ネピア ティシュ 5コパック: 25.0% reduction in CO2 emissions through compact design and increased truck loading capacity
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• すみだ水族館 (Sumida Aquarium)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with Sumida Aquarium in Tokyo to create educational video content for the 'Unchi Prince Summer Research' project. The video series explores sea creatures' poop with aquarium staff and teaches children about animal health through poop observation.
• Kodansha Bunko (角川文庫)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Hana Celeb × Kodansha Bunko collaboration featuring limited edition tissue boxes with special covers displaying Hana Celeb animal characters on classic Japanese literature book covers.
• Moomin (ムーミン)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration featuring Moomin characters (Troll, Snorkmaiden, Little My, Snufkin, Nyanko) on limited edition nepia eco tissue packages. Yellow, sky green, and sky blue color scheme released nationwide May 2025.
• Meguro Ren (目黒蓮)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Brand ambassador for Nepia tissue and toilet paper products. Starring in TVCM campaigns including 'Nepia Sales Meguro-kun' series and new 2026 Father's Day campaign '家族を想う篇'. The campaign emphasizes family sentiment and connection through everyday tissue use.
• WWF Japan (世界自然保護基金)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with WWF Japan to promote FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification and sustainable forest management. Nepia was an early adopter of FSC-certified paper in the Japanese tissue industry (since 2011) and works with WWF to raise consumer awareness about sustainable paper choices.
• Tomakomai City (苫小牧市)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Naming rights partnership for 'nepia Ice Arena' (formerly Shirakaba Arena) in Tomakomai, Hokkaido since 2015. The facility hosts Asia League ice hockey games and various events, supporting regional sports development.
• UNICEF Japan (日本ユニセフ協会)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2008From 2008-2021, Nepia conducted the '1000 Toilets Project' supporting UNICEF's sanitation improvement efforts in East Timor. Over 13 years, approximately 210 million yen was donated, 22,000 toilets were constructed, and 134,000 people gained access to sanitary toilets. Child mortality in East Timor improved approximately 36% during this period.
• East Timor Government (東ティモール民主共和国)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Through the 1000 Toilets Project, East Timor achieved its goal of eradicating open defecation by 2024, with 68 villages and 425 communities declaring open defecation free status. The project contributed to national sanitation policy goals.
• NPO法人日本トイレ研究所 (Japan Toilet Research Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Since 2007, Oji Nepia and Japan Toilet Research Institute have collaborated on the 'Unchi Kyoushitsu' (Poop Classroom) educational program for elementary school children. The program teaches about health, sanitation, and environmental connection through poop-themed curriculum. Over 21,000 children have participated, and approximately 400 teachers have been trained to conduct the program independently. The program was renewed in 2024 with new high-grade curriculum.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cascades Inc. Canadian tissue and packaging producer with strong sustainable/eco-certified tissue products (recycled content, FSC). Comparable in eco-positioned tissue innovation and away-from-home tissue solutions, though operates primarily in North America.
• Kao Corporation: Major Japanese consumer goods company producing tissues (Kleenex brand), toilet rolls, baby diapers (Merries), and adult incontinence products. Directly competes with Oji Nepia in retail shelf space across both household paper and care categories, and is also expanding into adjacent skincare and wellness categories.
• Unicharm Corporation: Japan's leading manufacturer of personal care products including tissues, baby/adult diapers, wet wipes, and feminine care. Directly competes with Oji Nepia across virtually every product category (tissue, toilet rolls, adult diapers, light incontinence) in the Japanese market and shares similar brand-led, ESG-positioned consumer paper strategy.
• Daio Paper Corporation: Japanese paper manufacturer producing household tissue, toilet rolls, kitchen towels, and adult diapers (Attento brand). Competitor across both consumer paper and adult diaper segments with significant Japanese manufacturing scale comparable to Oji Nepia.
• Sofidel Group: Italian tissue manufacturer producing toilet paper, kitchen towels, napkins, and AFH (away-from-home) products for European and global markets. Comparable in tissue manufacturing technology, sustainability certifications (FSC), and AFH channel focus, though focused on European/overseas markets.

Broad incumbents

• Essity AB: Global hygiene and health company producing Tork (away-from-home tissue), TENA (adult incontinence), and consumer tissue brands. Comparable in adult incontinence care technology and away-from-home tissue/wiper solutions, but operates globally rather than Japan-focused.
• Kimberly-Clark Corporation: Global personal care and tissue company producing Kleenex tissues, Scott toilet paper, Kotex, Huggies, and Depend adult incontinence. Operates in Japan through partnerships but competes indirectly through global best practices and sustainability frameworks shaping Japanese tissue market expectations.
• Procter & Gamble: Global consumer packaged goods company with Charmin (toilet paper), Bounty (paper towels), Pampers (diapers), and Always. Sets global benchmarks in tissue, kitchen towel, and diaper categories that shape Japanese retail and consumer expectations.
• Nippon Paper Industries: One of Japan's largest pulp and paper companies producing printing/writing paper, packaging, household paper, and paper diapers. Broader paper conglomerate that overlaps with Oji Nepia in household paper manufacturing but operates across many additional paper categories (newsprint, packaging).

Emerging players

• Hakujuji Co., Ltd. (Daiei-sha): Japanese specialty tissue manufacturer known for high-end, scented, and printed toilet papers (Washi-style products) competing in the same premium/specialty toilet paper segment as Oji Nepia's Shikoku Tokushi brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/e_nepia_?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oji Nepia